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On display at the Tokyo All Japan Model Hobby Show 2024 Arma Hobby is to re1ease - in November 2024 ? - a 1/72nd Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa/"Oscar" kit - ref. 70078 Sources: https://www.armahobby.com/70078-nakajima-ki-43-ii-hayabusa.html https://x.com/ModelArtInc/status/1844572143012749517 V.P.

Special Hobby is to reissue in 2023 its 1//72nd "Oscar" kit (link😞 - ref. SH72479 - Nakajima Ki-43-II Ko/Otsu - Japan's allies Source: https://www.specialhobby.net/2023/03/sh72479-nakajima-ki-43-ii-kootsu-japans.html Schemes V.P.

Platz (new?) F-Toys 1/72nd Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa kit - ref. Sources: http://platz-media.com/blog/2018/09/19/hayabusa/ https://www.facebook.com/platz.hobby/photos/a.427377477276709/2308569735824131/?type=3&theater V.P.

Nakajima Ki-43-III Ko Hayabusa "Ultimate Oscar" 1:72 Special Hobby The Nakajima Ki-43 Otsu Hayabusa, known to the Allies as the 'Oscar' was a single-seat, single-engined fighter which equipped the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force from 1941 until the end of the War. The design utilised the same 14-cylinder Nakajima Sakae radial engine as the infamous Mitsubishi Zero, and in fact in the heat of battle, the two aircraft were often confused by Allied aviators. Just like the Zero, the Hayabusa was light, nimble and exceptionally manoeuvrable, and just like the Zero, its Achilles heel was a lack of armour and self-sealing fuel tanks. The Ki-43-III introduced a more powerful Nakajima Army Type 1 Ha-115-II engine, as well as the features of the Ki-43-II, such as the strengthened wings with hardpoints for fuel tanks or bombs, armour for the pilot and basic self-sealing fuel tanks. In service the Hayabusa at first enjoyed enormous success thanks to its phenomenal rate of turn. This was soon countered by more advanced Allied fighters with heavier armour and armament, which removed much of the Ki-43's competitive advantage. It's eight years or so since Special Hobby first released their Oscar, although it has been released a couple of times since then with different decals. This version appears to be a straightforward re-release of the Ki-43-III kit first released in 2010. The kit is fairly simple, being comprised of around sixty plastic parts, although a small number of these are not actually needed to build the variant depicted on the decal sheet. The parts are spread across three sprues of grey plastic and a single clear sprue. The mouldings look fairly crisp, and feature reasonably fine sprue attachment points and refined, engraved surface detail. Construction begins with the cockpit. This sub-assembly comprises a floor with two-part seat and separate rudder pedals and control column. The instrument panel features raised detail and a separate gun sight. The internal faces of the fuselage halves also feature some moulded detail, so although the part count for this area isn't particularly high, the end result is more than acceptable. The only think I would really want to add is some harnesses for the seat, either from spare photo etch (or Special Hobby's own dedicated photo etch set for this kit) or tape. Once the fuselage halves have been joined, the tail planes and wing can be fixed in place. The elevators and ailerons are all moulded in place, and like many kits of low-winged aircraft, the lower wing section is moulded in one span, with separate port and starboard upper surfaces. The engine is moulded as a single, solid part but looks pretty good nonetheless. The cowling is moulded in three parts, which makes it a little more fiddly to assemble but makes for an accurate overall shape. The propeller is moulded as one piece, so you won't have to worry about aligning individual blades. The landing gear itself looks reasonably good, with the landing gear legs and the main gear wheels each made up of one part. Drop tanks are also provided, but you'll need to take care over their positioning as there are no holes or marks as to where they should go. The injection moulded canopy is moulded in two parts, which means it can be posed in the open position if so desired. The decal sheet provides for three options: ⦁ Ki-43-III Ko, 64th Sentai, Burma, Autumn 1944; ⦁ Ki-43-III Ko, 48th Sentai, Nanking, China, August 1945; and ⦁ Ki-43-III Ko, 65th Sentai, Metabaru Airbase, Kayushu, Japan, August 1945. All of the aicraft are finished in olive green over IJA grey; Conclusion Although this kit is marginally less sophisticated than the very latest offerings from Special Hobby, that is more a reflection of the recent advances made by that manufacturer rather than any lack of quality with this particular kit. As always with kits of this nature, a little care and attention may be required, but I think this kit should build into a pleasing replica of an attractive aircraft with relatively little effort. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi, Next from shelvs. This is a very vinatge model - I made it in 1976 or 77, when I was about 17 -18 yeras old....This is old LS kit and painting scheme is presenting machine of Head Quater Chutai, 77 Sentai, Burma 43-44. https://weaponsandwarfare.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/zbdfgbdfg.jpg Recently I only wash it carefuly from dust (was really dark) and replaced the hinomarus from top and on fuselage - they were in bad shape... I gave also fresh a bit satin Vallejo varnish cover... Comments welcome and regards Jerzy-Wojtek

Hi Everyone, Here is my next build : Tamiya 1/12 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. I have been thoroughly enjoying my ZX-14 build, so I found this in LSA models closing down sale. Anyway here are the photos of the box and the sprues for this kit. I will hopefully be making a start on this tomorrow. Box Art Sprues I will be building this kit in the colour scheme depicted on the box lid as I like the Blue/Silver combination. First update, hopefully tomorrow. Rick

Hi Everyone, Here is my 1st completed build of 2015. Tamiya 1/12 scale Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa 99-07 model. This kit has been painted in Tamiya X-4 Blue, black, gold and silver plus a bit of flat aluminium. Anyway here are the photos. Thanks for looking. Rick